Getting 24 points and 10 rebounds from 6-foot-6 Richard Harris, the Menlo School boys’ basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs with a 65-48 victory over No. 11 Marina (14-12) on Thursday night in the Knights’ gym.
Harris made 10 of 15 shots for No. 6 Menlo (13-12), which also got 17 points from Jonny Halprin while 6-5 Kyle Bowman blocked eight shots and had eight rebounds in a strong defensive effort.
Menlo, which has relied on three-point shooting during the season, passed up the three-ball and fed Harris, which proved successful. The Knights will host No. 3 Palma (16-8) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Following that game, top-seeded Sacred Heart Prep (22-2) will take on No. 8 Half Moon Bay (19-9), a 57-53 overtime winner over Monte Vista Christian (15-15) on Thursday.
In CCS Division I action:
Gunn gave up 36 points and 20 rebounds to Watsonville’s 6-foot-8 Ivo Basor and suffered a season-ending 64-61 loss in the second round on Thursday night in the Titans’ gym. Despite that offensive outburst, No. 8 seed Gunn (15-10) held a 61-60 lead after senior Jack Hannan hit a free throw. The Titans had a chance to extend that lead with 40 seconds to play, but senior Taylor Perricone missed the front end of a one-and-one situation.
Ninth-seeded (22-5) Watsonville brought the ball up court and, with Gunn’s defense sagging on Basor, Lamar Cowans nailed a 10-footer for a 62-61 Watsonville lead. Gunn still had a chance to go ahead, but turned the ball over and Cowans wound up making two free throws for a 64-61 advantage with nine seconds to play. Gunn still had a chance to tie, but Hannan’s three-point attempt missed at the buzzer.
The Titans got out to a 13-2 lead midway in the first quarter, but two quick fouls on the 6-6 Redfield with two minutes remaining in the first dramatically changed the game. With Redfield in early foul trouble, it opened the door for a monster evening by Basor.
Anthony Cannon led the Titans with 21 points while fellow senior Matt Redfield added 19 and Hannan finished with 11 as all three closed their prep careers along with Perricone, Jim Hinton and Cody Carefoot.
In San Jose, No. 11 seed Menlo-Atherton (13-14) saw its season end with a 48-47 loss to host and No. 6 Oak Grove (16-11). Ian Proulx led the Bears with 18 points while Michael Culhane added 11 for the Bears, who had to battle back from a 28-13 halftime deficit. The loss marked the final game for M-A seniors Stas Dellamorte, Myles Brewer, McKinley Mathon, Marquise Tolson, Zack Cantu and Culhane.
In Division V action:
Eastside Prep (8-18) kept its hopes alive after winning a second straight game, 49-29 over No. 6 St. Lawrence (16-10) on Thursday. The Panthers are seeded No. 11 and next will face No. 3 Mid-Peninsula (19-2) at St. Francis-CCC in Watsonville at 3:45 p.m.
Following that game, No. 5 Priory (11-11) will face No. 4 Crystal Springs (12-12) at 5:45 p.m., in a matchup of West Bay Athletic League rivals. Priory advanced with a 59-34 victory over No. 12 Kehillah Jewish of Palo Alto on Thursday night as Brandon Willhite scored 13 points and Gabor Somogyi added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Panthers.
In the final game of the night, No. 1 Pinewood (19-5) will face No. 8 Jewish Community (San Francisco), a 37-22 winner over No. 9 Alma Heights (11-12), at 7:30 p.m.
In Division II quarterfinal action Saturday:
Fourth-seeded Palo Alto (18-6) will face No. 5 Cupertino (18-7) for the third time this season when the top two teams from the SCVAL De Anza Division square off at Foothill College at 10 a.m. Cupertino advanced with a 45-33 win over No. 12 South San Francisco on Thursday.
Girls’ basketball
Sacred Heart Prep sophomore Melissa Holland poured in a career-high 34 points to spark the No. 6-seeded Gators to a 72-51 romp over No. 11 Harker (20-5) in the second round of the Central Coast Section Division IV playoffs on Thursday night.
Helen Gannon added a season-high 17 points for the Gators (13-10) in perhaps their most impressive offensive showing of the season. Holland tallied 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Gators outscored the visitors, 20-7. Sacred Heart Prep will face No. 3 Soquel on Saturday in a quarterfinal game at Notre Dame-Belmont at 4:30 p.m.
In Saturday’s late game at 6:15 p.m., No. 4 Menlo School (16-10) will take on No. 5 Mercy-San Francisco (19-8), a 61-37 winner over No. 12 Mercy-Burlingame on Thursday. Mercy-SF and Menlo faced each other twice during the West Bay Athletic League (Foothill Division) season, with Menlo winning both games.
In Division I quarterfinal action Saturday:
Top-seeded Palo Alto (19-4) will open play against No. 9 Santa Teresa (12-15) at Hartnell College in Salinas at 4:30 p.m. Earlier, third-seeded Gunn (17-5) will face No. 6 San Benito (17-8) at 1 p.m.
In Division V quarterfinals at Pinewood:
Top-seeded Pinewood (21-5) will host No. 8 Summit Prep (11-7) at 2 p.m.; third-seeded Castilleja (12-14) will face No. 6 Pacific Collegiate (14-10) at 3:45 p.m., and No. 2 seed Eastside Prep (19-7) will take on No. 7 Jewish Community (14-6) at 7:30 p.m.
— Palo Alto Online/Tom Jacoubowsky reporting on Gunn boys
— Palo Alto Online/Tom Jacoubowsky reporting on Gunn boys
— Palo Alto Online/Tom Jacoubowsky reporting on Gunn boys
Interested in basketball? Check out this column by the Viking Mag! http://www.vikingsportsmag.com/columns/2011/04/25/one-and-done/